Rocky Mount Telegram Rocky Mount, North Carolina Wednesday, July 19, 1972 - Page 13
Personally Speaking... by Ronnie Smith
That ancient, ancient game of chess is once more capturing the excitement of millions of fans across the world.
With the world championship being played in Reykjavik, Iceland between champion Boris Spassky and challenger Bobby Fischer, small chessboards have sprung up in nearly every conceivable corner of the world.
For the past week, wire services have been sending pictures constantly from all parts of the world showing various people in the act of playing the mind-bending game. One picture showed a young boy, approximately five years old, playing ten games at the same time against opponents older than himself. Another picture was a beach scene in which a giant chessboard had been spread out on the sand, and the participants were playing the game while soaking up some sun.
The game of chess has endured many centuries, but never seems to be checkmated in popularity.